The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed him to work closely with his predecessor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in the overall interest of the party.

Yilwatda, who spoke on Wednesday when Ganduje paid him a condolence visit over the demise of his mother, said he would need the guidance of his predecessor to succeed in office.

Daily Trust reports that Ganduje resigned under controversial circumstances on June 27, but cited ill-health in a letter he transmitted to the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru.

Following his resignation, the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) met and appointed Yilwatda as substantive national chairman on July 24.

Speaking while receiving his predecessor, Yilwatda said, “His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked me to work with you, to reach out to you as well about partnership. I told him I would regard you still as chairman in partnership with me. You are still the co-chairman of the party.

“I am only a coordinator. My duty is simply to coordinate the membership of this party. But the party belongs to all of us. We are all collective leaders of the party. Moreover, by experience and by virtue of politics, you have been there long before me. Since the time of the NPN, you have been part of the political scene.

“At that time, I was only in primary school. I recall that we used to see Governor Rimi come to Jos in the 70s and 80s to visit Solomon Lar. One day, he came to commission a project at my school. I was just in Form 2, waving at them along with my classmates — I never knew what politics truly meant. By then, people like you had already mastered the ropes of politics, while we didn’t even know the definition of politics.

“So I need your experience. I need your guidance. The learning curve still rests with you. I will depend heavily on your experience, your connections, and your contacts to ensure we solidify this party and build it together, so that we can win more elections.”

In his earlier remarks, Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, said, “One important thing is that the problem between successor and his predecessor is one of the issues that APC has solved.

“So in order to show examples, I am sure you know that since 1999 the problem between former governors and their successors has always been an issue up till now in many states of the federation.

“Not only in governorship, but in other positions, especially in politics. So our relationship is the beginning to solve that kind of problem. Not only in APC but in the whole atmosphere of democracy. I have to congratulate you for this new appointment.” (Daily Trust)

• Former APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, in a warm handshake with current Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, during the former’s visit to the latter